Citalopram - Nightmares and horrible flash backs?

[wheresclaire]

Doctor swapped my prozac for Citalopram four weeks ago. Now, every other night I am being plagued with horrible nightmares where I am back with my abusive ex partner. My DH is having a hell of a time calming me down in the night. I haven't thought about him or our time together for years. Is this a reaction to the citalapram or I am going totally mad???

I had flashbacks on Citalopram and nightmares. Came off them in the end.

The nightmares do go. I've read on MN that it's your brain working through the depression. Once the nightmares stop, you will probably notice you are better during the day.

You're not going mad.

Not everybody has horrific nightmares....personally I had a lot of dreams about other peoples children dieing...I think my brian some how knew I couldn't cope with dreaming about my own children dieing. It is other wise a fantastic drug, IMO.

Dittany...you may be right. I've had all the reactiuons you've mentiond, but haave decided to continue taking it. Maybe because I like being pacified!

I take citalopram. When I have been adjusting to a dosage change, I get horrible nightmares. They go after a few weeks as my body adjusts to the new dose (I think during the daytime I can focus on it and then at night there is nothing stopping it).

I have found it a very good drug - am coming off it slowly at the moment and it has really helped me.

I know I'm not Lynette, but have been taking it for nearly 2 years. Have been on other ADs on and off for several years.

They stop me wanting to kill myslef and have given me the space to be able to complete a CBT course and be able to sort out my problems for myself.

Am down to 10mg every other day now and confident I will be AD free at some stage in the future.

i've been on it for three year. I only had the bad dreams fro the first month or so, but then had another one this week.

Looking back I had very bad PND, so being stable is a huge plus. Also I'm very calm with DC's now...I don't shout nearly as much as I would do if I weren't taking them.

ittany it's not bonkers if you've considred killing yourself and your DC's or had paranoid thoughts about what people are planning against you.

OMG I am staring in these today having been swapped from Fluexatine......ekkkkk

Hi there,

I was put on Citalopram a few years ago but stopped them after a month because of side effects.

I didn't have nightmares but every time i closed my eyes i felt as though somebody was watching me. I was very nervous, i couldn't walk more then a few feet with out looking back to see if i was being followed.

Another side effect was that i started to grind my teeth so would wake up every morning with the most awful headache.

It might be worth having a word with your GP as i remember mine saying there was an alternative that had fewer side effects.

hope you feel better soon. xx

I have also been on Citalopram for 4 months now and although it's not life changing it's defintely calmed me down. Infact a month ago I had abit of a tantrum thinking that they weren't working, as I felt a bit down. Three days later I started shouting at DDs and getting angry and irrtated with everything; it felt like serious PMT. This is how I was before I started on them. So I started taking them again and now I few weeks later I am calm again.

I used to get the night mares also. I also had serious problems falling asleep amoungst other side effects, but they vanished after a few weeks.